Quick experiment...

[OreoGaborio]

I have a theory.... and a quick favor to ask of those that are more comfortable carving a turn in one direction than the other...


First, get off your ass and walk to the middle of the room... now jump up in the air and spin around. Now do it again but spin the other way.
The way you spun the first time. More comfortable? Is that also the way you're more comfortable turning on a bike?

[Uncle Snake]

Vertigo = no comfort.

[Sheppo]

Do you think it's related to right handed vs left handed?
Me it was right first and I am right handed.

[JohnnyV]

[backinthesaddle]

On a dirt bike I always felt more comfortable turning left, on the street I don't notice any difference. Maybe because in a deep southwick type berm when you can really grab a handful of throttle it felt more natural if the throttle hand was "on the high side" as opposed to the low side by the inside leg.

[JettaJayGLS]

This is a big thing in almost all action sports. Most people people spin one direction better than the other. For example, on a snowboard, most spin better to the left. That's why most regular riders through frontside spins easier and goofy riders throw backside spins easier. That's also why when you see a giant trick thrown down and it was done switch, it's really not as hard as you think if they're spinning their natural direction. This is even more important for skiers. In a competition, if a skier does a right hand spin, it is normally called out by the announcer and awarded more points than a left hand spin.

I'm guessing this is extremely similar in BMX and skateboarding but I never got good enough to spin more than a 180. If I rode a quarter pipe, I would most definitely always spin left.

On a motorcycle, I am more comfortable turning left. I've thought that this may be due to Loudon having more left turns, or getting choked up on the throttle during right hand turns, but after some more riding and more laps, I believe it is 100% correlated with your point.

[scootertrash]

Confirmed. I am more comfortable left in both cases.

[jasnmar]

I'm more comfortable not jumping

[Lucas]

Don't you think the throttle being on the right has more of an influence than which way you spin naturally?

Already said, my bad.

[backinthesaddle]

Don't you think the throttle being on the right has more of an influence than which way you spin naturally?

Already said, my bad.

If instead of a twist throttle we had a thumb lever setup like an ATV would it make less difference? I have no idea, but have always kind of wondered that.

[nhbubba]

Everyone in my office is now entirely convinced I'm really weird. Thanks man. Good call.

I am equally 'comfortable' in both directions. On a bike I've never felt more comfortable turning in one direction than the other.

[Petorius]

Left and left

[SRTie4k]

I've never felt awkward leaning either way on my bike.
The decade I skated, I felt more comfortable spinning to the left.
I am also left handed.

Not sure how all that contributes, but maybe it'll help.

[Falko]

I fell down, twice, but hit harder on the left.

Seriously though, I am more comfortable turning left and when getting up on the wakeboard and always skirt left. More comfortable to go that way I guess.

[RandyO]

as a street rider, I find left curve easier, I had always assumed it was due to riding on right side of road and being on outside of turn rather than inside with a tighter radius cause as the radii of curves increase in either direction, my comfort increases, I have also scraped hard parts a lot more in right hand curves

[oVTo]

Right, right, Downtown.

[mzdagrl]

Is anyone else thinking this was an experiment to see how many of us he could get to do this? Neither felt weird for me, and I corner just as poorly left or right.

[Jim]

i'm confused. was i supposed to take my pants of before or after jumping?

[Gecko]

Equally comfortable turning left or right ... same with the jump & spin.

[union]

I can do it either way just as comfortable. It's the landing I'm bad at apparently

[tsorfas]

I think it's all in our heads. I used to be terrible at right turns at loudon. I worked so hard to get over it that now I think I'm more comfortable turning righ than left.
Good idea though Pete

[OreoGaborio]

This is a big thing in almost all action sports. Most people people spin one direction better than the other. For example, on a snowboard, most spin better to the left. That's why most regular riders through frontside spins easier and goofy riders throw backside spins easier. That's also why when you see a giant trick thrown down and it was done switch, it's really not as hard as you think if they're spinning their natural direction. This is even more important for skiers. In a competition, if a skier does a right hand spin, it is normally called out by the announcer and awarded more points than a left hand spin.

I'm guessing this is extremely similar in BMX and skateboarding but I never got good enough to spin more than a 180. If I rode a quarter pipe, I would most definitely always spin left.

On a motorcycle, I am more comfortable turning left. I've thought that this may be due to Loudon having more left turns, or getting choked up on the throttle during right hand turns, but after some more riding and more laps, I believe it is 100% correlated with your point.

This is precisely what I'm getting at. I don't think the fact that most riders that are more comfortable turning one way or the other has fuck all to do with where the throttle is or which side of the road we ride on. I think it has to do with our body's natural comfort in space.

Part of me also wonders if it has anything to do with which hemisphere we're in. Most of us around here are more comfortable turning to the left... are most people on the southern hemisphere more comfortable turning to the right?

Someone ask their Australian friends.

[tls25rs]

I have thought about this same question in the past because I seem to be more comfortable turning left than I am right. My reasoning to myself has always been that things like rotaries etc. teach us to be comfortable turning left at a higher speed and therefore I was more comfortable that way. I have always been more comfortable drifting my cars to left, most likely for the same reasons. It also may have something to do with the fact that when driving a car we are on the inside of a left turn and that is more comfortable than being on the outside of the turn.

as a street rider, I find left curve easier, I had always assumed it was due to riding on right side of road and being on outside of turn rather than inside with a tighter radius cause as the radii of curves increase in either direction, my comfort increases, I have also scraped hard parts a lot more in right hand curves

Randy brings up a good point about turning comfort based on the roads. My take on that was the additional sight line in left hand turns, due to the way we drive on the right side of the road, made it more comfortable. That was until I rode at Deal's Gap and realized that I liked the right handers a little more in that situation because even though it meant a possible car/bike collision the extra pavement gave me peace of mind rather than the 100 ft drop to the trees and rocks below on the outside of the left handers.

I guess my point is that sight lines being equal and lack of run off out of the equation I'm more comfortable turning left because it has been ingrained in me from the way we drive cars in the US. If we asked the same question to people who live in countries where they drive on the left side of the road do you think that more would be comfortable turning right than left?

As far as the original question, it matches my riding/driving, slightly more comfortable spinning to the left than to the right.

[backinthesaddle]

John Beckwith (Owen Wilson - Wedding Crashers)
That's right. What am I thinking? I'm used to sailing down under with the kiwis so everything's backwards and the toilets when you flush them, the water spins the opposite way. Really freaks you out the first time you see it.

[SRTie4k]

This is precisely what I'm getting at. I don't think the fact that most riders that are more comfortable turning one way or the other has fuck all to do with where the throttle is or which side of the road we ride on. I think it has to do with our body's natural comfort in space.

Part of me also wonders if it has anything to do with which hemisphere we're in. Most of us around here are more comfortable turning to the left... are most people on the southern hemisphere more comfortable turning to the right?

Someone ask their Australian friends.

Are you seriously attributing leaning a motorcycle over to the Coriolis Effect?